Fentanyl linked to half of fatal overdoses statewide

Fentanyl and related potent opiates were involved in more than half of the 4,050 drug overdose deaths in Ohio last year, according to a new report by the Ohio Department of Health.

Unintentional drug overdose deaths have more than doubled over the past five years due to the prevalence of the powerful opiates which can be hundreds of times more potent than heroin. In 2016, coroners also noted a marked increase in the presence of cocaine — nearly a 62 percent year-to-year increase — making it the third most prevalent drug in unintentional drug overdose deaths. More than half of those with cocaine in their system also had fentanyl, according to the state report.

There were 22 Sandusky County residents who died of an unintentional drug overdose in 2016, up from 12 in 2015. Since 2011, the rate of local deaths were 18.6 per 100,000, which is below the state’s rate of 22.2.

Montgomery County has the highest rate of overdose death with 40 per 100,000 while deaths in four counties — Paulding, Noble, Monroe, and Holmes — are so few a six-year rate can’t be calculated.

Ohio Public Safety Director John Born said troopers and drug task forces across the state have seen an increase in the seizure of fentanyl, but also cocaine and meth. Born said in some cases dealers are adding fentanyl to cocaine for an “extra kick.”

Among those who died of an unintentional drug overdose in 2016, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy reported over 80 percent had a history in Ohio of being prescribed prescription pain medication at some point.

“What we see in the evolution of this epidemic is what we see in the evolution of addiction,” said Dr. Mark Hurst, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ medical director.

The state has targeted prescribing guidelines and monitoring of opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin in an effort to curb the number of deaths.

“We’re trying to regulate prescription drug prescribing so fewer people get addicted and fewer people transition (to stronger opiates,” said Steve Schierholt, director of the Ohio Pharmacy Board.

Among those efforts is encouraging doctors to review the state’s prescription monitoring system; in June there were 327,000 queries per day to the system, up from just 77,000 queries per day in June 2016, Schierholt said.

The spike in fentanyl and carfentanil across the state often obscures the impact those efforts are having. While prescription pain medication was present in 667 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2016, it was the lowest number since 2009 and the fifth straight year there has been a decline, according to the report.

However, Tracey Plouck, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, said the impact is more than just one thing. She pointed to other efforts across the state to increase treatment, housing, and prevention, noting 50,000 Ohioans are in recovery with the aid of medication-assisted treatment like Vivitrol and Suboxone.

“We have a lot of people in recovery in this state,” Hurst agreed. “We don’t want to promote if you use these drugs everyone dies because a lot of people recover.”

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